Tablet or the like.



. E. MGSHEEHY- TABLET OR THE LIKE.

APPLIOATION FILED APB..15, 190a.

AFRICA & B

Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTORS:

WITNESSES:

(flame s MW a TABLET OR THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.15, 1908.

Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1 FIG. .3.

FIG. 5.

INVENTORS:

E. M00. AFRICA & B. E. MoSHEEHYu WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER MCOLELLAN AFRICA, OF I-IUNTINGDON, PENNSYLVANIA, AND BARTHOLOMEVVE. McSHEEI-IY, 0F NU TLEY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO J. C. BLAIR COMPANY,OF HUNTINGDON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TABLET OR THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

Original application filed January 18, 1908, Serial No. 411,445. Dividedand this application filed April 15,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, ELMER MGCLELLAN AFRICA, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of I-Iuntingdon, in the county of Huntingdon andState of Pennsylvania, and BARTHOLOMEW E. MOSHEEHY, a citizen of theUnited States, and a resident of Nutley, in the county of Essex andState of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Tablets or the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This application is a division of our application No. 411,445, filedJanuary 18, 1908.

The invention relates to writing tablets or pads and aims to providecertain 1mprovements therein.

It has heretofore been proposed to supply with each tablet or pad aguide sheet having guide lines ruled transversely of the pad. Such guidesheet has been useful only in using the paper in its full lengthconchtion without folding.

According to our present invention we provide guiding means which areadapted to be conveniently utilized in connection with the paper sheetseither when the latter are used lengthwise in various sizes forcommercial letter writing, etc., or when they are folded for socialletter writing in various sizes. To this end we provide a guide sheetwhich is preferably ruled both longitudinally and transversely, andwhich is formed either separately from the tablet or attached thereto ina manner to be described. lVe also provide a second guide sheet adaptedfor use in connection with the first, and also preferably connected withthe tablet. Such a second guide sheet is by preference only aboutonehalf the length of the tablet, and is provided with guide lines whichextend lengthwise of the tablet and preferably also transverselythereof.

By our invention in its preferred form we provide a tablet in which atleast three sides of the folded letter sheet can be written upon withthe assistance of the guide lines without detaching the sheet from itsconnection with the tablet. The guide sheets also are applicable to thefourth side when the sheet is detached.

A gcording to our present invention the two guide sheets are connectedtogether Serial No. 427,259.

preferably in such manner that the smaller sheet is hinged to the largerat the side of the latter near one end thereof. Preferably the largersheet is connected to the tablet at the bottom end of the latter or onthe side opposite the binding edge, although this is not essential. Thefull-size sheet is adapted to fold down into place beneath the uppermostsheet of the tablet, and the halflength sheet is adapted to folddownwardly upon the top of such sheet. The two sheets together may befolded back away from the tablet if desired, or between the body ofsheets and the back-board in case the guide sheets are not to be used.The guide sheets may be provided with any suitable designs, although forcorrespondence.purposes plain ruled lines extending longitudinally andtransversely of the sheets will be employed.

Our invention also includes other features of novelty which will behereinafter referred to.

Referring to the drawings illustrating an embodiment of theinvention,Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tablet. having ourimproved sheets connected therewith. Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are viewsillustrating the positions of the parts when writing upon the four sidesof a folded letter sheet. Fig. 5 is a side elevation or edge view ofFig. 1. Fig. 6 is a view of our improved full length guide sheetdetached.

Referring to the drawings let A designate the tablet as a whole which iscomposed of a number of elongated sheets (4 preferably connected alongone of their short sides at b. Preferably a back-board c is provided asis common, and a cover (Z which is connected to the tablet at the top orbinding edge 5. Preferably the dimensions of the tablet are such thatwhen the sheets are folded along the dotted line 6 (Fig. 1) the loweredge will meet the top edge, so that the paper assumes the proper formfor correspondence, etc.

B indicates a guide sheet which is of substantially the same dimensionsas the writing sheets of the tablet, and preferably such sheet is hingedto the tablet, by preference to the back-board c as indicated in Fig.The hinged joint may be formed in any suitable way, preferably by astrip of paper or canvas f (Fig. which is glued to the back-board c andto the under side of the guide sheet B. In this manner the lower edges(or those opposite the binding edge of the tablet) of the writing sheetsare left free. The hinge f is preferably stiff laterally so that theguide sheet B tends to fold over in a substantially fixed plane, wherebyit retains its position more effectively and does not move from side toside. lVhen the guide sheet B is in position beneath one of the writingsheets (as shown in Fig. 3 for instance) it is held with sutlicientfirmness to prevent its displacement. Preferably when the guide sheet Bis used to provide writing lines it is ruled with lengthwise lines 9(which in the construction shown extend at right angles to the bindingedge) and transverse lines it so that the writing sheet may be writtenupon either longitudinally of the tablet or transversely thereof asdesired. Preferably, as before stated, we also employ a second guidesheet C which is by preference about onehalf the length (or longestdimension) of the tablet so that it occupies about one half the area ofthe tablet, or about the same space as the writing sheet when folded.

According to the present invention the sheet C is hinged to the sheet Bat one side of the latter, near or at its end. The hinged joint may bemade in any suitable way, as by hinging the parts together by a suitablestrip of fabric, or the sheets B and C may be formed in one piece andcreased to form a hinged joint.

lVhen the guide sheet C is to be used for correspondence it isordinarily suliicient that it be ruled on its face with a single set ofguide lines g (Fi 2) extending longitudinally of the tablet, but ifdesired transverse guide lines such as it may be employed; It is alsodesirable that the lines appear on both sides of the sheet.

In the use of the tablet when the sheet is to be folded tocorrespondence size the upper writing sheet is raised sufficiently toenable the guide sheet B to be folded down beneath it, whereupon thesheet- C is folded downwardly over the upper half of the writing sheet,and the latter is then folded so that its upper and loweredges-coincide. During this action the edge Z of the sheet C serves as aguide for folding the sheet. This brings the first page of the sheet inposition for use, as indicated in Fig. 2, the guide sheet C lyingbeneath such page and its lines being visible through the latter asindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. After the first page is writtenupon the writing sheet is extended to its full length, bringing thesecond page into position over the lower part of the guide sheet B. Theguide sheet 0 may be permitted to remain in its folded position, or, ifthe third page of the writing sheet is to be written upon also the sheetC will be folded outwardly as indicated in Fig. 3. When the fourth pageof the sheet is also to be written upon, the writing, sheet is detachedfrom the top, and turned with its fourth page upwardly, the sheet Cbeing slipped between the second and third pages of the sheet.

If the writing sheet is notfolded to correspondence size, the guidesheet B is arranged beneath the top writing sheet, and the latterwritten upon transversely, the crosswise guide lines it on the sheet Bbeing used.

In the construction shown the guide sheet B and the half-length guidesheet C may both be folded between the bottom sheet of the tablet andits back-board so as to be out of the way when not desired for use.

According to our invention, we prefer to form the guide sheets B and Cof blotting paper. By this means we are not only enabled to dispensewith the use of a separate blotting sheet, but avoid any specialinanipulation of the paper or blotting means, the blotting operationbeing effected so to speak automatically. By reference to Figs. 1 to 5it will be seen that after the first page of the letter is written uponand it is unfolded in the position of Fig. 3, the sheet B serves to blotthe page. After sheets 2 and 3 are written upon and the sheet 0 isfolded over along the upper half of the letter sheet, it serves to blotpage 3 of such sheet. If page 2 is not already dry this is also blottedby the sheet C as it is turned over upon the upper side of such sheetpreparatory to detaching the writing sheet from the tablet. When thetablet is used without folding the paper the underside of the sheet Bmay be utilized for blot-ting purposes; it is especially adapted forthis purpose, since its under side is preferably not ruled. A separateblotting sheet 02 may, however, be provided as shown in Fig. 1 whereinit is attached to the underside of the cover. It will also be noted thateither of the sheets B or C may be unruled and used only as a blotter.It will also be observed that any design may be placed upon the guidesheets for drawing or other purposes. Guide sheets of different sizesthan those indicated may be used if desired. a

By the present invention the use of correspondence paper in tablet formis very greatly facilitated. The sheets B and C, or their equivalents,fold down accurately upon the writing sheets so that they arepractically held in position without any effort on the part of the user.The guide lines are immediately available for all of the pages of thewriting sheet, and render the use of the tablet extremely convenient.The invention makes the use of tablets very practicable for socialcorrespondence, which is a great ad vantage since the body of the tabletprovides a superior backing for the paper which pro motes ease andconvenience of writing. An important feature of the invention is that bythe use of a guide sheet having lines ruled in two directions, thoseextending at right angles to the line of writing may be utilized as aguide for the writer to provide a proper margin. It is, of course,within the invention to provide one or more separate lines wholly formarginal purposes, but we prefer to provide a complete set of lines,first, be cause it enables the sheet to be used for writing in eitherdirection, and second, because .it provides a succession of lines, anyone of which may be used as themarginal guide, so that the width ofmargin may be varied from either side.

It will be understood that while the sheets B and C are preferablyconnected with the pad by attachment of the sheet B thereto, suchcombined sheets may be detached from the pad and still be extremelyuseful for writing purposes. In Fig. 6, we have illustrated the sheets Band C detached from the tablet. Such combined guide sheets can befurnished very cheaply, in fact at little more expense than the ordinaryfull-length guide sheet. The printing of the guide sheets withtranseverse and longitudinal guide lines involves practically noadditional expense since this can be done with a single printingoperation.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the constructionherein shown without departing from the spirit of the invention. WVhilein its preferred form the various features of invention are combined asindicated, such features may be used separately if desired.

What we claim is 1. The combination with a tablet comprising a pluralityof translucent paper sheets of two guide sheets each of which is adaptedto lie under a paper sheet of the tablet, and said guide sheets havingguiding provisions visible through the paper sheets, one of said guidesheets being of substantially the same size as the writing sheets, andthe other of substantially half such size and attached to the edge ofthe first.

2. The combination with a tablet comprising a plurality of translucentpaper sheets of two guide sheets each of which is adapted to lie under apaper sheet of the tablet and said guide sheets having guidingprovisions visible through the paper sheets, one of said guide sheetsbeing of substantially the same size as the writing sheets, and theother being attached to the edge of the first at only a part of thelength of the first.

8. The combination with a tablet comprising a plurality of translucentpaper sheets of elongated form of two guide sheets each of which isadapted to lie under a paper sheet of the tablet, and said guide sheetshaving guiding provisions visible through the paper sheets, one of saidguide sheets being attached to one of the shorter sides of the tablet,and the other to the edge of the first guide sheet.

4. The combination with a tablet comprising a plurality of translucentpaper sheets bound together along one edge, oftwo guide sheets each ofwhich is adapted to lie under one of the paper sheets, and each of whichhas guiding provisions visible through such sheets, and one of saidguide sheets being substantially the full area of the tablet andattached to the side thereof opposite the binding edge, and the otherguide sheet being substantially half the area of the tablet and attachedto one of the detached side edges of the larger sheet.

5. A tablet having two guide sheets, one substantially the full area ofthe tablet and attached to the side thereof opposite the binding edgeand the other substantially half the area of the tablet and attached toone of the detached side edges of the larger sheet, the larger of suchsheets having longitudinal and transverse guide lines, and the smallerhaving guide lines extending longitudinally of the larger.

6. A tablet having two guide sheets, one substantially the full area ofthe tablet and attached to the side thereof opposite the binding edgeand the other substantially half the area of the tablet and attached toone of the detached side edges of the larger sheet, both of said sheetshaving longitudi' nal and transverse guide lines. 7

7. A guide line devlce for writing paper and the like, comprising incombination two guide sheets each having guiding provisions on a surfacethereof and one of said sheets being substantially smaller than theother and hinged thereto.

8. A guide line device for writing paper and the like, comprising incombination two guide sheets each having guiding provisions on a surfacethereof and one of said sheets being substantially half the length ofthe other and hinged to a side thereof.

9. The combination of two guide line sheets, one substantially half thelength of the other and hinged to the side thereof, each of said sheetshaving longitudinal and transverse guide lines.

10. A tablet having a plurality of translucent paper sheets boundtogether along one edge, and two guide sheets each of which is adaptedto lie under one of the paper sheets, and each of which has guidingprovisions visible through such sheets, and one of said guide sheetsbeing substantially the full area of the tablet and attached to the sidethereof opposite the binding edge, and the other guide sheet beingsubstantially half the area of the tablet and attached to one of thedetached side edges of the larger sheet, and both said guide sheetsbeing formed of blotting paper.

11. The combination of two connected sheets, one substantially half thelength of the other and both being formed of blotting paper, and havingguide lines on their surfaces.

12. A tablet having a plurality of translucent paper sheets of elongatedform bound together at one of the shorter sides thereof, andtwo guidesheets one attached to the tablet on the side opposite the binding edgeand the other attached to the first 011 one of its detached elongatedsides, each of said guide sheets being adapted to lie under a papersheet and both having guiding provisions visible through such papersheets.

13. A tablet having aplurality of translucent paper sheets of elongatedforin bound together at one of the shorter sides thereof, and two guidesheets one attached to the tablet on the side opposite the binding edge,and the other attached to the first on one of its detached elongatedsides, each of said guide sheets being adapted to lie under a papersheet and both having guiding provisions visible through such papersheets, and one of said guide sheets being substantially half the areaof the other.

14:. A tablet having a plurality of trans lucent paper sheets ofelongated form bound together at one of the shorter sides thereof andtwo guid'e sheets one attached to the tablet on the side opposite thebinding edge and the other attached to the first on one of its detachedelongated sides, each of said guide sheets being adapted to lie under apaper sheet, and both said guide sheets having guide lines extendinglongitudinally of 40 the tablet.

15. A tablet having a plurality of translucent paper sheets of elongatedform bound together at one of the shorter sides thereof, and two guidesheets one attached to the tablet on the side opposite the binding edgeand the other attached to the first on one of its detached elongatedsides, each of said guide sheets being adapted to lie under a papersheet, and both said guide sheets having guide lines extendingtransversely of the tablet.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto signed our names in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

ELMER MGCLELLAN AFRICA. BARTHOLOMEW E- MGSHEEHY.

Vitnesses as to E. M. Africa:

D. ELLIOTT JOHNSTON, h IARGARET ScHArER. Vitnesses as to B. E. McSheehy:

THEODORE T. SNELL, ILLIAM F. MARTINEZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

